‘Red dye used at Queen Victoria Memorial could protest not be harmful because I’m vegan’

An Animal Rebellion activist accused of damaging the Queen Victoria Memorial with red dye said she would not have used a harmful product because she is a vegan. Christopher Bennett, 33, Riley Ings, 27, Louis McKechnie, 23, Claire Smith, 26 and Rachel Steele, 48, allegedly defaced the white marble statue outside Buckingham Palace. They threw red liquid over the memorial, turning the water blood red, and let off flares on 26 August 2021, Southwark Crown Court heard. The protestors were…